1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to storage bins, and more particularly to a storage bin and lid assembly reconfigurable between several different arrangements.
2. Description of Related Art
Storage containers such as food ingredient bins are known in the art. These bins are typically relatively large in size and include a container base with a bottom, a side wall, and a lid covering an open top of the base. The lid typically includes a cover near a front of the storage bin that can be pivotally opened in an upward and rearward direction permitting access into a storage space of the bin to remove food ingredients. The entire lid can typically be removed to open the top of the container base to refill the storage space with food ingredients or the like.
Commercial kitchens often employ a number of these types of food ingredient bins, as do grocery stores, for storing food ingredients in bulk. The bins are relatively large in size and take up a lot of space. Additionally, a scoop is often left sitting on or standing in the ingredients within the bin for repeated use and accessibility to remove quantities of the food ingredient. In a conventional food ingredient bin of this type, the scoop is typically left partially submerged in the food ingredients with the handle extending upward. A user can access the scoop by grabbing the exposed handle for use. Sometimes, the scoop is left lying on top of the food ingredients and thus the handle is close to or resting on the ingredients. To remove the scoop, the user must grab the handle and in doing so may touch the food ingredients with their hand. This can contaminate the ingredients remaining in the bin or being scooped from the bin by the user.
Additionally, the scoop sometimes may be poorly positioned in the food ingredients and difficult to grasp. Sometimes, a low level of food ingredients requires a user to reach deep into the ingredient bin to access the scoop to remove ingredients. The user again can accidentally contact the ingredients with their hand or arm and potentially contaminate the contents of the bin.
In a commercial kitchen environment, the staff may sometimes stack ingredient bins to reduce the amount of space needed for the bins. Stacking the bins makes it difficult or impossible to open the covers of the ingredient bins in order to access the ingredients. Thus, when a lower bin in a stack of bins is required for use, the bins must be unstacked to access the ingredients of such a bin within the stack. Alternatively, some ingredient bins may be provided with pivotable lids that can be raised at least somewhat in order to expose the opening under the cover. However, it is difficult or impossible to reach into such a bin with the cover only partly opened. Also, a user must use one hand to hold the lid of the stacked bin while removing food ingredients with their other hand because the partly opened lid won't stay open on its own. Otherwise, the lid will simply fall on their hand making it even more difficult to remove food ingredients from a bin in the stacked bin configuration. Thus, even if the opening is accessible, it can be cumbersome to remove ingredients. Ingredient bins are typically not configured to be used in a stacked manner. Some ingredient bins have a cover on the lid that slides open to the rear. This type of cover will not function at all if the bin is stacked under another bin.
Food ingredients within a storage bin of this type often can spill out of the container when ingredients are being removed using a scoop. Some ingredient bins have an opening under the cover that is angled or tilted forward. When such a bin is full, food ingredients sometimes will spill out when an individual reaches into the container to scoop out ingredients. This can occur even when the bin is less than full because the food ingredients will likely be pushed by a user toward the front opening during use for easier access.